Chiang Mai Airport to propose ban on sky lanterns

[Lite Beer]

Chiang Mai Airport to propose ban on sky lanterns

CHIANG MAI, 8 January 2014 (NNT) -- Chiang Mai International Airport is set to launch a measure controlling the release of lanterns into the city's sky.

A lantern was found in a turbine engine of Bangkok Airways’ Airbus 320 after it had landed at Chiang Mai Airport last week. The return flight to Bangkok was immediately cancelled as a consequence.

Chiang Mai airport also reported that it had collected over 200 sky lanterns on the the airport premises over the New Year celebration. The two incidents have prompted concerns over the aviation safety in the Thai society, and many have called for strict measures to control floating sky lanterns.

According to Airport director Group Captain Visut Chanthana, he will soon discuss the lantern issue with the city's authority and suggest that the latter issue a ban on sky lanterns within the perimeter of 18.5-kilometer of the airport.

He said the problem should be contained as soon as possible given the airport will be open 24 hours a day beginning in August this year.

-- NNT 2015-01-09

[X pat]

Wish they would do this all over Thailand.

[IAMHERE]

Ban Jet flights during Lantern hours and Lantern season.

[Lite Beer]

Chiang Mai to issue sky lantern control measures

CHIANG MAI, 10 Jan 2015 (NNT) – Chiang Mai province is preparing to issue flying lantern control measures to prevent risks to air traffic.

Under the new measures, the release of sky lanterns will be strictly prohibited on all occasions except for the Loy Kratong festival and the period of 31st December-1st January for the New Year festival. As for other traditional events which observe the custom of releasing a number of sky lanterns, the organizers must submit a letter to the administrative office to request permission which will be considered on a case by case basis.

In addition, sky lantern producers will come under tougher quality control rules and regulations. At the same time, a zoning of sky lantern sales will apply to the sellers. Chiang Mai administrative office earlier announced a ban on the release of sky lanterns within a 5-kilometer radius of the airport.

The move came after reports that sky lanterns released by merry makers during the New Year celebrations had posed a threat to air traffic in Chiang Mai. Bangkok Airways was forced to cancel a Chiang Mai- Bangkok flight after scraps of a sky lantern were found on an aircraft’s propeller. More than 200 sky lanterns were collected around Chiang Mai International Airport.

-- NNT 2015-01-20

[clockman]

Believe it when you see it.T.I.T.

[Sparkles]

Ban Jet flights during Lantern hours and Lantern season.

Great idea for tourism and local business .What do you suggest as an alternative....... the train or bus ?

I think tourists would really appreciate that after 12 hours on a plane from Europe.

[khwaibah]

Ban Jet flights during Lantern hours and Lantern season.

Great idea for tourism and local business .What do you suggest as an alternative....... the train or bus ?

I think tourists would really appreciate that after 12 hours on a plane from Europe.

It would sure slow down the rumors about a new airport for CNX.

[No1]

In the previous years the airport collected the lanterns from the airfield as it was always a known issue that the jet engines suck in lanterns during taxi. FOD (Foreign Object Debris) in form of lanterns is less of a safety concern but more of an economic one. If they really want to protect the airport and the aircraft, I would suggest that they should control the sale of lanterns and allow only those ones which would work without a metal wire and which are bio-degradable.

[bangon04]

Believe it when you see it.T.I.T.

"to propose ban "

I thought I read last week that the ban was already in place. But it seems we are only at the "mulling" stage......

[Rorri]

They can institute "bans" or whatever measures they want, but those of us that have been here, even for a short time, know damn well Thais ignore any bans, laws etc that they don't like.

[Graemej100]

It's strange that one should be found 'in the propeller' I thought Bangkok Air flew jets to Chiang Mai.

Why in the world cant they shut the airport down for a few hours each evening during Loi Kratong and over New Year's Eve. The laterns during those times are, surely, of far greater benefit to Thailands/Chiang Mai's tourist industry than possibly any other festival that draws tourists here in the first place. But, maybe, the owners of the airlines and airports are far more powerful that any possible ancient festival and the closing of the airport for a few hours, and it's subsequent lack of financial return over that time, would far outweigh any benefit the festivals might have for Thailand.

[gchurch259]

I have not seen one of these Lanterns up close and personal.

If there are no metalic parts to these Lanterns, they can not do much damage to a jet engines. Of course, once one is found in an Engine Inlet there are Inspections required. The Fan, which is the first stage in the Inlet, will generally, through centrifugal force, throw most stuff out the Fan Duct and out of the engine.

[swoods58]

Many of them do have a wire rim at the bottom and thin wite holding the fire mechanism.

[No1]

It's strange that one should be found 'in the propeller' I thought Bangkok Air flew jets to Chiang Mai.

Why in the world cant they shut the airport down for a few hours each evening during Loi Kratong and over New Year's Eve. The laterns during those times are, surely, of far greater benefit to Thailands/Chiang Mai's tourist industry than possibly any other festival that draws tourists here in the first place. But, maybe, the owners of the airlines and airports are far more powerful that any possible ancient festival and the closing of the airport for a few hours, and it's subsequent lack of financial return over that time, would far outweigh any benefit the festivals might have for Thailand.

It wasn't found in the propeller, of course. It was found in the jet near the fan. Not the prop.

Why they can't shut down the airport? If launching lanterns was at a certain time of day and on certain days only, it would be something that could be considered, I guess. But nowadays lanterns are being launched for weddings, birthdays, hotel openings, i-dunno-what-all.

I have not seen one of these Lanterns up close and personal. If there are no metalic parts to these Lanterns, they can not do much damage to a jet engines. Of course, once one is found in an Engine Inlet there are Inspections required. The Fan, which is the first stage in the Inlet, will generally, through centrifugal force, throw most stuff out the Fan Duct and out of the engine.

In the kind of lanterns they are using is a wire. There is a more sophisticated, biodegradable version with no metal wire but I have never seen them.

[hmficc]

CM is not a zoo. Screw the tourists and fly the fire.

[Bruce404]

This issue is no laughing matter, and I hope the authorities succeed in stopping this practice.

Around the time of Loy Krathong this past November 2014, while dining at the riverside ThaNam Restaurant in Chiang Mai, I witnessed dozens of restaurant patrons launching lanterns provided free by the restaurant, from a small platform on the western bank of the Ping River, just a few hundred meters south of the Mahidol Road bridge. This location (18.755614N latitude, 98.994726E longitude) is about 2 kilometers east of the southern half of the north-south Chiang Mai airport (CNX) runway, well within what would be the restricted area of the proposed prohibition.

That evening the wind was southerly, driving the slowly-rising lanterns north directly over the city, at first hundreds, and then when their light could no longer be discerned by the naked eye about 10 or 15 minutes later, probably at a couple of thousands of feet above ground level.

At that altitude, the lanterns could easily be in the typical take-off path of planes departing CNX to the north, which in my experience of hundreds of departures from CNX over the past decades, turn easterly, away from the Doi Suthep range, in an arc that parallels the arc of Nimmanhaeminda Road as it curves eastward as the origin of Super Highway 11, also known as the inner ring road around Chiang Mai.

After dinner, I walked down the steps from the outdoor dining area to the platform to take a closer look at the still-folded lanterns awaiting future launches. Although I cannot now remember whether their cross-bracing contained metal wires or not, their solid-fuel "pucks" (about 8 cm in diameter and 1-to-2 cm in thickness) were contained within metallic cups, probably to keep them from prematurely burning their cross-bracing at the bottom of the lanterns.

Whether or not these lanterns contain any metal, I certainly would not want any sucked into a plane I or anyone else is in while departing or landing at CNX. As many can recall, in 2009 a U.S. airliner departing LaGuardia Airport was forced to make a miraculously non-fatal landing in the Hudson River beside New York City when its engines sucked in one or more birds, which were unlikey to contain any metal.

I agree with previous posters that enforcement of a prohibition will be difficult. But such a law would be essential to avoid the tragedy of a disabled plane crash-landing onto a populated district in Chiang Mai if unable at a low altitude to make a go-around.

One means of enforcement would be a substantial fine of tens of thousands of baht for restaurants, hotels, and private parties facilitating or promoting this dangerous activity, and publicizing a hotline for eyewitnesses immediately to call in to report violators, and be awarded 25 percent of the fine of those caught in the act, and maybe 25% as well to the arresting police to encourage filing the reports.

[Graemej100]

Bullshit.

[arunsakda]

A bad pic taken in low light with my mobile from a few weeks ago.

What it shows is a burned out lantern descending, in the Prasertland concrete expanse DIRECTLY below

CNX RW36 departure path just before dark.

There were two other lanterns in the group which I did not get in the the pic.

These lanterns are a hazard to navigation. They might not cause an accident but this is not a good situation

for pilots and will certainly lead to more engine ingestions, flight cancellations, and very costly damage eventually.

Edited January 21, 2015 by arunsakda

[Chicog]

the airport will be open 24 hours a day beginning in August this year.

Wonderful news for the neighbours.

[arunsakda]

I have not seen one of these Lanterns up close and personal.

If there are no metalic parts to these Lanterns, they can not do much damage to a jet engines. Of course, once one is found in an Engine Inlet there are Inspections required. The Fan, which is the first stage in the Inlet, will generally, through centrifugal force, throw most stuff out the Fan Duct and out of the engine.

Rubbish

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sparkles]

I have not seen one of these Lanterns up close and personal.

If there are no metalic parts to these Lanterns, they can not do much damage to a jet engines. Of course, once one is found in an Engine Inlet there are Inspections required. The Fan, which is the first stage in the Inlet, will generally, through centrifugal force, throw most stuff out the Fan Duct and out of the engine.

Do birds have metallic parts within their body? many a plane has been brought down by birds getting sucked into the engine.Inspections once in the air might prove to be a mite difficult.